The Return of Elena Grace
by ChelzToddBrooke
Summary: Sequel to "Whatever She Wants" Stella's friend Elena comes back to New York... there is really no point to this story...FLUFF! SMACKED I own nothing...
1. Meeting Drew

**A/N Finally more of my SMACKED series... ENJOY! **

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"You ready to go?" Mac asked as he entered his wife's office and began gently kneading the muscles in her shoulders. Stella looked over her shoulder at him.

"I think this is a first," She laughed.

"That's not true, there are times I go home before you do," Mac protested. Stella breathed a light laugh. She cleared her desk and slowly stood from the chair. "How are you feeling?" Mac wondered.

"Oh, I'm good," She smiled as she set a hand on her barely protruding belly.

"Are you up for Elena's visit?" He asked.

"Well, I know for sure I'm excited about it," Stella half answered.

"Then we better get to the airport," Mac said leading her out of the room.

"I can't wait to meet the man she's bringing with her," Stella mused.

"Do you know anything about him?" Mac questioned a little concerned about having a stranger in his house for a few days.

"She said his name is Drew and that you would approve," She replied. Mac knotted his brow in confusion. "I don't know," she shrugged, sharing his misunderstanding. "I just hope he is a good guy, Lena deserves that," Stella added finally.

"She does," Mac agreed.

"Ok, so, she said to meet her at the baggage claim," Stella announced as they walked into LaGuardia. She surveyed the room looking for her best friend, after a few seconds her eyes landed on the brunette laughing while talking to a man Stella didn't recognize. "Mac, there they are," She pointed out to her husband. "At least I assume that's Drew," She shrugged.

"Stel!" Elena squealed as she ran in her friend's direction leaving the man she'd been talking with to follow slowly after. "Hi Mac," She said, hugging them both. "Oh and this is Drew," Elena finally introduced the man. Mac and Stella took a minute to take in the man in front of them. He had thick dark hair that fell just at his shoulders, blue eyes that could give Flack's eyes a run for their money, and a clean shaven square jaw. He was wearing a blue vintage style Coca Cola t-shirt and jeans with an oddly placed military patch on them and more holes than Swiss cheese. On his feet were a pair of worn out cowboy boots that appeared to had been once encrusted with rhinestones around the heels, but now only a few stones still stuck to the shoes. His body was tone and tan and he stood no taller than five foot ten.

"Mac Taylor," Mac said finally, reaching to shake his hand.

"Drew Strawn," the man returned with a firm handshake. "And you must be Stella" He said flashing her a smile. Stella smiled and nodded in return.

"I hope you guys are hungry, Mac is making steaks tonight," Stella mentioned as they gathered their bags.

"Ooh, I love it when Mac cooks," Elena said excitedly. "And I can't wait to see your house," she added.

"I'm warning you it's not all together quite yet," Stella stated.

"That's ok, I'm just excited you all bought a house and have a little one on the way," Elena replied. Stella blushed slightly.

After dinner Mac and Drew struck up a conversation in the living room.

"So Drew, what do you do for a living?" Mac asked just as Stella and Elena entered the room. Elena took a seat nearly on top of Drew on the couch. He smiled and slid an arm around her shoulders. Stella couldn't help but smile as she watched her friend and her new beau. Stella took a seat on the floor next to the chair Mac was in. He sent her a look of disapproval; she shrugged as if to say, I'm fine here.

"Well, for the past five years, I've been pursuing my dream of singing country music," Drew answered in a tone that made it seem like he was truly proud of his occupation. Mac turned his gaze towards his wife, sending her some nonverbal communication. Mac wasn't sure how he felt about Elena dating a musician. Elena was like a little sister to him and he knew the reputation of musicians. Elena had a rough enough life, she didn't need more problems.

She mouthed "be nice" in return. One thing that bugged Stella about Mac was his tendency to be initially untrusting of people. She couldn't really blame him because of the field they were in, but he didn't need to immediately veto this man Elena was so taken with.

"Have you been successful?" Stella wondered, having heard the music industry was not an easy thing to encounter.

"More or less, I do a lot of touring and am holding down a decent living. However, the thing that has been the most rewarding in the past few years has been when I play for the troops. I have been to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, and Germany," Drew stated. Stella glanced at Mac just in time to see his eyes light up at the mention of the armed forces. She smiled softly.

"You play for the troops?" Mac checked, almost not believing what he had heard.

"Yeah, more than a few times. They're basically in a living hell over there. It's the least I could do to give them some reminder of home. I've also done some work with Operation Troop Aid, for every CD I sell, I send one to a soldier as part of a care package. For me its not about if I agree with the war or what the government has planned, it's about supporting the soldiers no matter what. They're in the situation they really have no control over and the least I can do is show my gratitude," And with that statement, Drew won Mac over.

"I was a Marine, fought in Beirut," Mac admitted.

"Yes, Elena had mentioned that," Drew replied, shooting a small smile towards Elena.

"Were you ever in the armed forces?" Mac wondered.

"No, but my father was in the Army," Drew answered.

"My father was in the Army as well," Mac mentioned with a nod. As their conversation carried on, Stella sighed heavily and pushed herself up off the floor. She took of towards the kitchen. Mac broke his attention away from Drew. "Stel, hon, are you ok?" He called after her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she returned. Mac knew by the tone of her voice that something was off. He quickly stood from his chair and went to find her. She sent him half a forced smile, but it didn't do a very good job of hiding the fact that she was on the verge of tears.

"What's wrong?" Mac asked, taking two steps closer and wrapping his arms around her.

"Your dads were in the Army. Elena and I don't even know our dads," Stella sobbed into his chest. Mac was confused; he had no idea where this was coming from. He ran a soothing hand up and down her back.

"I know honey, I'm sorry," Mac whispered, he knew it wasn't much help but it was all he could think of.

"I want our baby to know you," She said pulling back and meeting his eyes.

"They will, I promise, ok?" He replied. He now realized she was having a hormonal moment were the lines between rational and irrational blurred just a bit and anything set her off. He pulled her close once again and just held her.

"Is everything alright?" Elena asked tentatively as she entered the kitchen. Stella broke away from Mac and grinned at her friend.

"Yeah, just having a pregnant woman moment," She laughed wiping away what tears didn't make it onto Mac's shirt. Elena stared at her momentarily. She hadn't really taken the time to notice the changes in Stella's figure since she had been really caught up in introducing Drew and making sure he was accepted.

"Look at you, you even have a cute little belly," Elena gushed, setting a hand on Stella abdomen. Stella blushed.

"It won't be little for much longer," Stella laughed. She pulled her limbs into a deep stretch then settled her arms around Mac once more. Stella yawned and set her head on his shoulder.

"Tired?" Mac asked.

"Kinda," Stella shrugged.

"You all are so cute," Elena giggled. Mac and Stella both smiled at her.

"Am I allowed in here?" Drew finally stepped in from the living room.

"Yes, of course" Stella welcomed him. He approached Elena and gently wrapped his arms around her waist.

"It got kind of lonely in the living room," he mentioned.

"Sorry," Elena whispered. Drew smiled at her. She rested her head on his chest and let her eyes fall closed. Mac chuckled to himself.

"Drew, I'm thinking it's about bedtime for the girls," He said. Drew observed both Stella and Elena.

"I think you're right," Drew agreed.

"Mac, why don't you and Drew take their luggage to the guest room and we'll follow you up," Stella suggested. Mac nodded then exchanged a look with Drew. They both left the kitchen.

"So, what do you think?" Elena asked nervously when they were finally alone.

"First impression, I like him. He seems sweet and genuine. I know Mac was questionable at first, but I think Drew won him over. I am going to need more time for a full analysis though," Stella answered with a wink. Elena grinned from ear to ear. "Now, I love you doll, but I'm going to bed. I had a long shift today and the kid and I are tired," Stella finished.

"Goodnight Stel, I'm just going to grab a glass of water, " Elena replied as Stella headed for the stairs.

"Ok, and behave yourself Queen Elena," Stella called over her shoulder. Elena breathed a light laugh and rolled her eyes.

Mac was already in bed when Stella entered the room. He was partaking in his new favorite hobby of reading a baby book. It seemed Mac wanted to know everything there was to know about having a baby and taking care of it. Stella didn't really think he needed to read as much as he did, he appeared to be a natural around children.

"There you are," He smiled, looking over the top of his book.

"Yep, I didn't put my plans to run away into action yet," She joked. Mac scowled at her. Stella quickly changed into her Marine t-shirt and a pair of Mac's sweats and climbed into bed next to her husband. "Sorry about my little episode earlier" She said sheepishly. Mac closed his book and turned to face her.

"Don't be sorry sweetheart; it's a natural part of pregnancy. I think I'd be more concerned if you didn't have your moments. Speaking of which, how is the little one?" Mac responded, setting a hand on her abdomen. Stella couldn't help but smile.

"Fine, sleeping, so don't wake um up daddy", She giggled. Mac laughed lightly and reluctantly pulled his hand away. "So what are your thoughts on Drew, Taylor?" Stella was curious to find out exactly what he thought.

"I think he's a good guy. I'm not sure how I feel about him being a singer and being on tour. I've heard things about guys like that and I just don't want Elena getting hurt. I do think what he does for the troops is cool. I can say I'm not planning on kicking him out tomorrow; he has passed the initial evaluation," Mac answered completely. Stella let out a small laugh.

"I'm with you, I don't really think anything severely negative about him but I need to get to know him better. Elena really seems to like him and I hope that he is the right guy for her because honestly it's about time," Stella mentioned.

"And I think it's about time for bed," Mac segued lamely. Stella snuggled down into the bed, resting against him.

"Whatever you say," She grinned, shutting her eyes and succumbing to sleep. Mac smiled softly and dropped a kiss below her ear.


	2. Crackers, stat!

Early the next morning Stella woke up feeling queasy and she wanted to keep it that way, just a feeling. She searched through the kitchen desperately trying to find her box of crackers so she could quickly eat a few to settle her stomach. It would be simple if she'd just keep them in the same place; however it never really happened that way. She usually just put them up in the last cabinet she was near, Mac hated that. As she scoured the pantry she heard the back door open and click shut. Stella's body stiffened instantly as she wondered who was entering her house. She turned to find Drew standing by the door staring at his phone. After a second he met her stare.

"Oh hey, sorry, manager called," Drew stated, holding up his blackberry. Stella quickly went over the time change in her head. It was 3AM in California. Stella shrugged; she didn't understand the music business one bit. She reached into the pantry where she'd located her crackers. As she turned back towards Drew, she noticed he stepped into the light. Stella took in the sight of him standing there shirtless in only a pair of blue basketball shorts. Even though she would NEVER stray from Mac, she would have to be dead to not notice Drew. Her eyes skimmed over his broad shoulders and across his toned chest. Her gaze traveled down his muscular arms and stopped at his firm stomach. Stella quickly realized she didn't get to the crackers soon enough. She shoved the box of crackers in Drew's direction and bolted towards the bathroom.

"Drew, what'd you do to her?" Elena's lighthearted voice broke through the silence. Drew spun to face his girlfriend with the crackers in one hand and his blackberry in the other. He sent her a confused look. "She's pregnant, remember?" Elena whispered as she strode by him and into the kitchen.

"Oh, yeah," Drew said with an understanding nod.

"Yeah, now go put a shirt on before Mac gets in here," Elena instructed. Drew jogged up the stairs and to the guest bedroom. He soon retuned in a worn out orange t-shirt. Mac followed not long after, dressed for work.

"Good morning, have you all seen Stel?" He asked. Elena pointed to the closed bathroom door. Mac knotted his brow. "How long?"He inquired

"Um, five, ten minutes?" Elena answered. Mac nodded and made his way towards the bathroom door.

"Stel, it's me," Mac called before letting himself in. He found his wife leaning up against the sink. "How ya feeling?" He questioned tentatively.

"I think I'm good now," Stella replied with a smile. Mac couldn't help but smile back. He pulled his wife into a hug. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have to get ready for work," Stella added as she walked out of the bathroom

"Why don't you come in late?" Mac suggested, following her.

"Mac" Stella warned.

"Stel, your best friend is in town, have breakfast with her, then come in, I'm not playing favorites, I swear," Mac came up with a good defense.

"Yeah, it has nothing to do with the fact I'm pregnant and just battled a little morning sickness," She laughed.

"Just a coincidence, I suppose," Mac shrugged with a smug grin.

"Oh whatever Taylor, you win, I'll see you at work later," Stella replied, walking back into the kitchen.

"Hey, don't I get a kiss?" Mac called after her.

"Not unless you're going to wait for me to brush my teeth," She countered. She got no immediate answer. Before she could turn around to see if he was still standing there, she felt his arms wrapped around her. He gently kissed her neck a few times, she leaned into him.

"You know I'll wait," He whispered. Elena smiled at the fact that Mac was comfortable showing that kind of affection in front of others. Stella had been so good for him. Stella ran off and quickly retuned giving Mac a big kiss and sending him off to work.

"Where do you want me, boss?" Stella asked with a glint of humor in her eyes. Mac raised an eyebrow at her. She was in a cheeky mood. The way she always got when Elena was around. "Come on Mac, you know what I mean," She smirked.

"Yeah, I know," He said on a light laugh. "You're with Danny and Flack, they'll catch you up," He informed her. She smiled and turned to leave. "Stel," he called after her. She looked over her shoulder at her husband and supervisor. "Behave yourself," He added with a wink. She gave him a "who me" look and walked out.

By lunch time, Stella was starving. One thing she learned about pregnancy was it always left her hungry. It didn't matter how much she ate in one sitting, a few short hours later she was hungry all over again. She decided to give into her hunger and headed for the break room. There she ran into Jess and Lindsay.

"Hey Stel, I didn't see you around this morning," Lindsay commented.

"I came in late, I had breakfast with Elena," Stella explained.

"Oh Elena is in town?" Lindsay checked.

"Yep, just got here yesterday," Stella answered.

"Well keep her away from my husband," Jess laughed.

"No need to worry about that, she brought her own man this time," Stella mentioned.

"Really?" Lindsay was intrigued.

"His name is Drew and he is a fine looking specimen," Stella replied.

"Stella!" Jess exclaimed.

"I'm not saying I'm looking around, he was just shirtless in my kitchen very early this morning," Stella defended herself. "He's not necessarily better looking than the husbands we have, but he's fresh meat and I'm hormonal," She continued, subconsciously setting a hand on her lower abdomen.

"Well, what does he look like?" Jess was interested, partially because she wanted to know what kind of man the girl who was crushing her husband ended up with and partially because well she was a woman.

"Shoulder length dark brown hair, blue eyes than can compare to Don's, a great smile, tan and muscular everywhere," Stella laid out the details.

"I'm gonna have to see him," Jess concluded.

"Well you're in luck my friend; he and Elena are meeting Mac and I for dinner later." Stella grinned.

"Danny would go crazy if he heard this conversation," Lindsay laughed.

"Oh you're not going to run away with the man, tell Messer to can it," Jess retorted. Lindsay giggled.

"I'll give him a tour when he gets here so you can all see him," Stella announced as she gathered the sandwich she made and left the room. Moments later, Stella sauntered into Mac's office with half a sandwich in hand. Mac looked up from the file he was going through.

"Got a hot lead?" she asked.

"Not really, I just got back from making my rounds around the lab. What was going on with the female powwow in the break room?" Mac mentioned, slipping an arm around her. He would have much rather set a hand on her abdomen, but he wasn't comfortable doing that in public at this point.

"Just girl talk," she shrugged, giving him a quick kiss.

"Yum, peanut butter," Mac smiled, licking his lips.

"And jelly, you want a bite?" Stella offered.

"It's just PB&J right? Nothing strange?"Mac checked.

"Just a normal peanut butter and jelly sandwich," She assured him. Mac took a bite of the sandwich.

"Good sandwich, Stel," he commented.

"Glad you liked it, I was starving," She replied taking her finger and wiping away the smudge of jelly on his cheek.

"Besides having been starving moments ago, how are you feeling?" Mac asked the question he found himself asking quite often these days. Stella was first annoyed by the repetition of this question but had grown used to it and knew Mac was only concerned.

"I am good, thank you for asking," She grinned. Mac smiled back at her.

"Stel, you ready to go?" Flack stuck his head in the door.

"Yeah," She said to Flack, and then turned back to her husband.

"I have to go run a few leads. I'll see you later. Elena and Drew are meeting us for dinner ," She mentioned.

"Ok, be careful" Mac said as she left with Flack. Through the glass walls, Flack met Mac's gaze with an understanding nod. There was an unspoken promise between the two detectives to watch out for each others families.

"Dude, where's Stel?" Elena asked as she paraded into Mac's office.

"How did you get in here?" Mac wondered with half a smile.

"Said I was family," she shrugged. Mac couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"So, uh, what is this place?" Drew spoke up, taking in his surroundings.

"Welcome to the New York crime lab," Mac supplied.

"I thought you and Stella were cops," Drew was confused.

"We are, detectives actually, I just happen to run the crime lab and Stella is my top investigator and partner," Mac explained.

"Yeah, yeah, that's all fun and good, where's Stella?" Elena asked impatiently. Drew gave her a slightly perturbed look and assumed Mac would be upset too, that's why he was thrown off when he heard laughter and saw a smile on the man's face.

"Well Queen Elena, she's in the field with Flack running leads," He mentioned, returning from his reclined position to continue working on the report he was writing.

"You let her in the field?" Elena questioned in disbelief.

"Yes, ma'am" He replied, not looking up.

"But you're Mac Taylor, protector of human kind, especially one Stella Bonasera- Taylor," Elena gasped. Mac breathed a light laugh and finally looked up. He tapped the end of his pen on his desk a few times.

"You do realize Stella would all but divorce me if I kept her out of the field at this point right?" Mac started. Elena gave an understanding nod. "She's just past her first trimester; I won't put her on desk duty for at least another three months. You saw her warn me this morning and all I was trying to do was get her to come in late. I'm not taking any chances. Last time I pissed off Stella she took off to another country," Mac continued with somewhat of a more serious tone.

"Another country?" Elena wondered why she hadn't heard about this.

"Yeah, Mexico, years ago before we were married," Mac said off handedly. Elena knew about a trip to Mexico but didn't know it had anything to do with a fight.

"Oh Elena Grace," A voice with a distinct accent said.

"Messer," She regarded almost distastefully. Drew again nearly called her out on her behavior until she broke into a huge smile and hugged the man who just entered the room. "Oh, uh Messer, this is my boyfriend Drew," She introduced the two men.

"Danny Messer," Danny said, reaching for a handshake.

"Drew Strawn," Drew replied, completing the handshake.

"So maybe this time Angell won't kick your ass," Danny teased. Mac laughed at the group's inside joke, but continued his work.

"Shut up, Messer," she responded with a slight blush.

"I don't know what's with you, but you get in trouble nearly every time you return to New York," Danny mused.

"It's my MO, I have to raise a little hell in my old stomping grounds, but enough about me. How the hell have you been, you have a kid now right?" Elena wondered.

"You really should visit more often Elena Grace, my son Jake is now almost two," Danny laughed.

"Yeah well, I do what I can," Elena said, sticking her tongue out at him. Danny scowled at her and turned towards Mac.

"Here's what we have so far," He announced handing over the file he had. Mac nodded as he flipped through the folder.

"Are Flack and Stella back?"Mac asked

"I don't know I took my lunch and went to check on Jake, he was running a fever this morning," Danny explained.

"Alright if you see them around, send them to my office and Lindsay is with Adam in DNA" Mac dismissed him. Danny sent him a crooked smile. He walked out sending a wave and a "nice to meet you" in Drew and Elena's direction.

"Mac, you've gotten soft," Elena noted.

"I'm afraid so, one of the things starting a family will do to a guy," Mac replied.

Before Elena could even react, her hands were pinned behind her back and she was handcuffed. Drew didn't know how to react being as he didn't really know what was going on.

"Miss Grace you have the right to remain anything but silent," The man who handcuffed his girlfriend laughed.

"Det. Flack, I've missed you!" Elena exclaimed, spinning around nearly losing her balance without the use of her arms. Drew stuck out a hand and caught her.

"Good, that means you've been keeping your tiny ass out of trouble," Flack replied.

"Or so you think, maybe I was just out of you jurisdiction," Elena countered. Most of the room laughed. It was then Elena noticed Stella sitting in Mac's lap. "Flack, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Drew," they too did the whole exchange names and hand shake thing. Flack turned Elena back around and unlocked one of the cuffs and hooked it to Drew's wrist.

"She's all yours," Flack laughed.

"Wait what? I'm stuck with her?" Drew joked, getting into the spirit of things a little bit.

"Yep, and that will make Jess very happy," Flack smiled.

"Why does everyone keep bringing that up?" Elena sighed in mock frustration.

"It would have been epic, she would have killed you" Flack provided.

"Just for looking?" Elena questioned innocently.

"Just for looking, her brother broke my wrist just on impulse alone," Flack confirmed. Elena made a face.


	3. Showing off the Beau

"Drew, would you like a tour?" Stella suggested, changing the subject.

"Sure," He shrugged. Stella tried to get up, but was stopped by a firm hand on her hip.

"What?" she asked Mac. "Do you not want me to give him a tour?" She checked,

"No, that's fine," He began, looking across the room to find Drew, Elena, and Flack conversing amongst themselves. "I just need to tell you something," Mac admitted. By the look on his face, she could tell she probably wasn't going to be happy with what he was going to say.

"You can't make it to dinner," She assumed.

"No, no, that's the good part, I can make it to dinner, the bad part is I have to come back to work afterwards," Mac disclosed. "I have a large stack of paperwork that needs to be finished and turned in by tomorrow." He explained.

"I can help," She offered.

"No that's ok, you can spend some time with Elena," Mac finished. Stella sighed in defeat and gave him a quick kiss before hopping out of his lap. She put on a smile and grabbed the still connected Elena and Drew and pulled them out of the room.

"You made her sad," Flack noted.

"I know and I hate it," Mac breathed. "I did my best to compromise," He added.

"You can't win them all, you will without a doubt make your pregnant wife sad at least once," Flack pointed out as he handed over some case files.

"Now that's what I like to see, Elena Grace chained to another man," Jess called as they entered the break room. She took in the sight of the unknown man. His dark hair hung in his eyes and a heart stopping smile sat on his face. Her eyes moved downward taking in his army green tee and perfect fitting jeans.

"Your husband wanted to make you happy," Elena grinned. Stella introduced Drew to Lindsay and Jess and they all stood around making conversation. "Adam!" Elena squealed as he entered the room. She rushed over, dragging Drew with her and attempted to hug the young lab teach, pulling Drew's attached wrist in the process.

"Here as much as I hate to do this," Jess said as she unhooked the handcuffs. "My husband will be looking for these later," She added. Drew rubbed his wrist now that he got it back to himself.

"Oh my gosh Adam, I haven't talked to you in forever," Elena said, finally letting go of him.

"What are you talking about? Mel called you last week," Adam laughed.

"Yeah, but I never get to talk to you anymore. So you're finally going to marry her?" She responded, playfully slapping his chest.

"Well, she said yes," Adam smiled bashfully.

"I'm happy for you guys," Elena said sincerely.

"Thank you, if you get a chance while you're in town you should stop by and see Mel," Adam finished, dropping a kiss on Elena's cheek and getting back to work. The rest of the room with the exception of Drew was in a mild state of shock.

"What?" Elena wondered.

"You know Mel?" Jess asked.

"Yeah, met her at a conference a few years back," Elena said like it was nothing.

"You've known her longer than Adam?" Stella needed clarification.

"Yeah," She shrugged. Stella laughed a shook her head, Elena was a constant surprise.

"Ok, you guys go tell Mac we're ready to go," Stella instructed her friends. As soon as they left the room she turned towards Jess and Lindsay.

"Fine looking human being," was all Jess said. Lindsay only nodded.

Dinner was spent at a quiet restaurant continuing to catch up. Elena was her cheeky self and it only seemed to set Drew off more and more even if Stella was matching her word for word.

"Alright, as much as I hate to cut this short I have to get work, so I can get done before tomorrow morning," Mac said on a sigh as Stella's smile faded a little.

"I'll walk you out," Stella said softly. When Drew noticed they were outside he turned towards Elena.

"Are you mad at me?" Elena questioned when she saw the look on his face.

"I just don't get it El, you talk so highly of these people but you treat them like crap", Drew spit out. Elena was terribly confused. "Don't you hear the way you talk to them? You're like a mouthy teenager." He continued. Elena noticed his blue eyes clouded over signaling he was very upset. The truth was this was all a huge misunderstanding.

"Drew, that's because that's what I am to most of them. Stella is my sister without the blood relation. Foster care is not easy on a person so I was a mouthy teenager with a mild rebellious streak and it would have been a lot worse if it hadn't been for Stella. Even when we were out of the system, Stella made sure I got through college and got my feet underneath me and all the while the cheeky mouthy part just stuck around and that was about the time I met some of the detectives," Elena clarified.

"but you're not like that back home," Drew still didn't understand.

"I know and I'm not really like that to them either, it's like a running joke," Elena explained.

"Ok, then what is the Queen Elena thing and who wants to kick your ass?" Drew had a few final questions.

"Stella has called me Queen Elena since we were little because I like to get what I want and Det. Flack's wide Jess and I got off on the wrong foot a few years back so it's another running joke," she finished. "Is that better?" Elena check, brushing his hair out of his face.

"Yeah," Drew smiled, leaning in to kiss her.

Meanwhile outside, Mac and Stella were still saying goodbye.

"I gotta go hon," Mac said as Stella hugged him.

"I know, but I don't want you too," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry, but the sooner I go the sooner I get home," he whispered.

"Ok, then I'll let you go," Stella said reluctantly. Mac caught her lips for a sweet kiss then watched her go back inside before climbing in his Avalanche and heading back to the lab.

When Stella walked back inside she found Elena and Drew caught in a lip lock.

"Aww, cute," she gushed as she returned to the table. "You guys ready to go?" She asked in a tired voice. Elena wouldn't have minded sitting there for a bit longer, but one look at Stella encouraged her to leave. Stella looked tired and clearly wanted to go home, even if Mac wasn't there.

Mac walked into a dark house. He knew everyone was home because his truck, Stella's Mercedes and a department issue Avalanche were all either in the driveway or the garage. He noticed the blue glow of the TV bouncing off the wall in the living room. He found Stella asleep on the couch and Elena and Drew were on the floor, taken with some show.

"How long has she been asleep?" He asked softly as he unbuttoned his suit jacket.

"Oh an hour, hour and a half, we were watching a movie and she only lasted about fifteen minutes," Elena answered. "How was paper work?" she questioned.

"Boring, but it's done," Mac laughed. He approached the couch and sat on the edge. Stella looked so comfortable he hated to disturb her. She was on her side with one arm tucked under her head and the other rested protectively over her abdomen. "Stel," he whispered, kissing her cheek. Her green eyes fluttered open.

"What time is it?" She asked as she pulled her body into a deep stretch.

"Just after ten, let's get you to bed," Mac said and helped her to her feet. As Stella got ready for bed, Mac changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants.

"What are you doing?"Stella wondered while she watched him tie on his tennis shoes.

"I'm gonna go for a run," He informed.

"Are you alright?" she checked.

"Yeah, why?" he answered.

"You don't usually run unless something is on your mind," she pointed out, gently rubbing his back.

"I just wanted to work out the kinks of doing paper work," Mac smiled.

"Ok, be safe," Stella replied and rolled over to snuggle into her side of the bed.

"Alright, I'll be back soon, I love you," Mac mentioned, kissing her goodnight.

"Love you too," she said softly. Mac quietly slipped out of the house, stopping briefly to tell Elena and Drew who were cuddled up together on the couch, that he was going out.


	4. Good conversation among friends

The next morning, Stella was surprised to find Mac wasn't yet in the shower. She reached over and ran her hand along his shoulder blade. Mac rolled onto his side and reached for her. He wrapped one arm tightly around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest.

"We're both off today, go back to sleep," He mumbled. Stella smiled and relaxed into him.

"I hate it when you run late at night," She stated, knowing he hadn't quite gotten back to sleep. Mac laughed lightly at her choice of morning conversation.

"I'm sorry, I just work in a run when I can," he explained, burying his face into her neck.

"I still don't like it," Stella complained.

"Hon, if I don't run when I can I'm going to get squishy," Mac countered, using a very unusual word for him.

"Then we'll be a matching set," Stella replied with a hint of humor in her voice.

"You're not squishy, you're pregnant and gorgeous," he whispered, dropping a kiss below her ear.

"Whatever Mac," Stella laughed.

"I know it's cheesy, but I can't help it. I've thought you were gorgeous since day one, you know that. But since you've been pregnant, I don't know, you just look amazing," Mac stumbled through his sentences. Stella smiled to herself. She rolled over to face him. "I know , you think I'm being lame," he added.

"No, I think you're endearing," she grinned. "I love you so very much, Mac Taylor," she whispered.

"I love you too," Mac replied, kissing her.

"I'm going to go see if Elena is awake, I haven't exactly had anytime alone with her. Drew is always around," Stella mentioned.

"I thought you liked Drew," Mac smiled.

"I do, I just want some time alone with Elena," Stella explained.

"Ok, ok, I'll be down later," he laughed.

"what are you going to do?" she wondered.

"I am going to go back to sleep," he answered.

"I'm impressed, Taylor," Stella smirked as she left the room. She tiptoed towards the guest room and slowly opened the door. "Lena," she whispered. Elena's head popped up.

"What ?" she groaned.

"How about an early morning talk? There's coffee in it for you," Stella smiled.

"Oh coffee, how could I resist," Elena replied sarcastically, pulling herself from Drew's grasp.

The two women settled on the couch. Elena with her coffee and Stella with her tea. They started off their conversation with a bunch of random subjects, like they normally did. Stella really missed Elena and now with a baby on the way, she knew it would be even harder to visit her.

"So tell me, what's it like being pregnant?" Elena asked.

"It's weird and wonderful at the same time. I mean your body goes through a lot of changes and it seems like suddenly everyone is in your business because they all can tell you're pregnant. I'm really excited though. I won't lie, I'm scared too," Stella rambled.

"What are you scared about?" Elena wondered.

"I didn't have parents so, I'm worried I won't know how to be one," Stella admitted. Elena assumed her answer would be along those lines, hell when she has kids, she'll be in the same boat.

"Have you told Mac about this?" Elena questioned.

"No, but I think he's expecting it," Stella answered.

"I think you're worrying about nothing, you're going to be a wonderful mother and years from now you'll look back on this and wonder what you were so worried about," Elena noted.

"Thank you, but enough about me, tell me about you and Drew," Stella urged.

"I like him a lot, and he's good people," Elena started.

"I can tell, but I have to ask, why did it seem like he was mad at you yesterday?"  
"Because he was," Elena giggled. "I didn't warn him about our inside jokes so he thought I was acting like a brat," she shrugged.

"Oh Queen Elena, he must not know you very well if he thinks you're not a brat," Stella laughed.

"Shut up, I just like to get what I want" Elena claimed.

"And Drew caters to that?" Stella smirked. Elena rolled her eyes.

"What did I do?" Drew asked coming down the stairs.

"Nothing, ignore her, she's being mean," Elena stated. Out of the corner of her eye, Elena noticed Stella visibly slump deeper into the couch. Drew had kinda interrupted her conversation.

"Morning," Drew murmured, kissing Elena's forehead. He sat down next to her.

"Morning," Elena responded with a tight smile. "Where's Taylor?" she wondered.

"He went back to bed," Stella said with a slight grin. Elena noticed her mug was empty, so she sent Drew into the kitchen to get her a refill.

"I'll get rid of him again so we can finish our conversation," she vowed.

"Don't worry about it," Stella shrugged. "Now, go in there and help him before he breaks something," she added with a light laugh.

"Are you alright?" Mac asked as he came around the staircase. Stella seemed rather distant, buried in the corner of their large couch.

"Yeah I'm fine," Stella smiled, standing to greet him. Mac took one of her hands. He brought his other hand to her face, running his thumb along her jawbone. He leaned in and captured her lips. Stella's free arm wrapped around her husband's neck as she gave into his kiss.

"They do make out!" Elena gushed upon her reentrance. As the two broke apart, Mac blushed furiously. "There's fresh coffee in the kitchen," Elena added.

"Mac can't have any," Stella noted.

"Why's that?" Elena asked curiously.

"He's sworn off of it until the baby is born," Stella explained.

"Did you force him to?" Elena continued.

"No, I did it all on my own," Mac stated proudly.

"And he hasn't cheated once in four moths," Stella grinned.

"Good man," Drew commented. Mac smiled and threw himself onto the couch. He pulled Stella down next to him. He discreetly slipped one hand onto her abdomen. Stella smiled and set her hand on top of his. The two couples sat there talking for the better part of an hour.

"Hey Drew, how would you feel about going for a run?" Mac offered.

"Sure, why not?" Drew shrugged.

As the men filed out of the house, Stella and Elena fell back into comfortable conversation.

"Why did you tell me about Mexico?" Elena wondered.

"I thought I did tell you?" Stella was confused.

"Yeah and you made it sound like a romantic getaway, you didn't tell me you were running away from Mac," Elena replied with a pointed look.

"I wasn't exactly running away, I was upset and needed some time to think things through, but that's all behind us now," Stella explained.

"Were you considering leaving him?" Elena wasn't yet satisfied.

"Not for a second," Stella answered without a second thought. "Lena, you don't need to worry about me and Mac. With our job, there are times we both get over stressed and that causes friction, but we've learned how to deal with that," she added. "Now, why did you tell me you knew Adam?" Stella turned the conversation on Elena.

"I didn't put it together at first, and by the time I did, I didn't really think it mattered," Elena shrugged. There was a comfortable lull in conversation as Elena looked around the room. Her eyes caught on the black and white wedding pictures hanging on the wall. "Do you have any idea how good you are for Mac?" she smiled. Stella quirked an eyebrow at her. "I will never forget the first time I met Mac. He was in his suit, tie and all, still wearing his wedding ring and clearly grieving. His eyes were cold and hollow. I was scared of him, to be honest with you. He shook my hand, gave me a curt nod and dismissed me so he could tell you to get back to work. I remember being confused because you spoke so highly about him and how great he was and once I met him I thought he was nothing to write home about, just a real hard ass detective," Elena began. Stella grinned a little, she remembered introducing her two best friends and she remembered how out of sorts Mac had been. "But so much has changed since then, hell, so much has changed since you guys got married. I mean I've never seen him be so publicly affectionate as I have this time and don't try to tell me it's because you're pregnant. Your love for him brought him back to life. He smiles so much more and his eyes are warm now. I don't find him the least bit intimidating anymore. I like to watch him around you, the way he looks at you could melt anyone's heart," Elena finished with a smile. She could see the tears trailing down Stella's cheeks. "He's been good for you too, he gave you the stability and the affection you've been looking for your entire life," Elena added.

"God, I miss having you around Elena," Stella said honestly, wrapping her arm around her pseudo sister.

"Well, I plan on being around more, especially once you have that godchild of mine," Elena replied. Stella's hand slid to her abdomen. "I do get to be Godmother, right?" Elena checked.

"Of course," Stella assured her.

A few hours later the men returned to find their women in what would soon be the nursery. It wasn't much yet, but they were working on it. They had furniture; they just needed a theme for decorating. Elena followed Drew down the hallway, leaving Mac and Stella alone.

"Thanks," Stella mentioned, not looking up from the catalogue she'd been flipping through.

"No need, you wanted to be alone with Elena, I was just making it happen," Mac replied. Stella looked up at him and smiled.

Days later, Elena and Drew headed back home with both Mac and Stella approval. They both thought Drew was good for Elena but neither of them let him out of the house without the threat of a gunshot wound if he hurt her.

Although, Stella loved Elena's visits, she was glad to have the house back and the opportunity to spend time alone with Mac. It was only a few more months and they would not have that luxury as often and she wanted to take advantage of every second she could.


End file.
